Welsh Mega Steam – day one

Alfreton to Bangor via the Great Orme Tramway

This was a holiday that I was unsure about going on because it involved riding around on trains for a week, and staying in university student accommodation. The journeys between the various train rides was by coach.

Despite my doubts, day one wasn’t too bad. The first place to visit was the Great Orme Tramway at Llandudno, but to get there, I had to take a journey involving three trains from Alfreton to Llandudno Junction. The first part was a short trip on Northern Trains to Chesterfield, where I changed for the Cross Country service to Manchester Picadilly. Unfortunately, this train was running fifteen minutes late due to diverting around major works at Nottingham station.

Fortunately, the Llandudno train started from the same platform at Manchester that my train arrived at, so all I had to do was get off the train and wait a couple of minutes for the Llandudno train.

Being a Saturday, the Llandudno train soon filled with holidaymakers off for a week at the seaside. The journey was slightly uncomfortable, but a combination of Facebook, Twitter and coastal scenery helped the time pass quickly.

Upon arrival at Llandudno, the tour guide greeted us and directed us to the coach which took us to the Great Orme Tramway station. I have been on this tram before so I knew what to expect and it was nice to start my holiday with a gentle trip to the top of the Great Orme, with its stunning views.

On the way up, I saw the Great Orme Kashmiri goats, whose ancestors once roamed the mountains of Northern India. I managed to get a couple of photos of them, along with a hot chocolate and cookie, before it was time to travel back down the mountain to catch the coach to Bangor University, home for the first three days of the tour.

At the base station, there was just enough time for a tray of chips from the chippie that we visited on our last holiday in Llandudno.

After a short journey to Bangor, the coach pulled up at the student accommodation, and eventually I settled into my room before dining in the Conference Centre, the restaurant being used for a wedding reception. It was like dining in a canteen, but the food was tasty and filling.

After dinner, I took the short stroll back to my room where I updated ‘the follow on’, before getting an early night ahead of day two’s journey up Snowdon.

Return to the itinerary page

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